Chennai: Relaxation of arrears rules may not be useful

CHENNAI: Relaxation of arrears rules under 2017 regulations by Anna University to the engineering students may not be helpful for April/May semester exams as many students with arrears papers have to write two exams - regular exams in the morning and arrears exams in the afternoon - on the same day.

The varsity released the time table for April/May semester exams for the students from affiliated colleges last week. As per the schedule, the exams for the first year and second-year students (2017 regulations) are scheduled to start on May 6 and will end on May 22.

"The exams are scheduled without any gap and the additional chance provided by the university is rendered useless. Students with arrears papers have to appear for three exams in two days giving no time for preparation," a principal from city engineering college said.

"Students who accumulated more arrears would face this issue. But, all the students with arrears papers may have to appear for two exams in a day in this semester," he added.

Following the students' protest against 2017 regulations, the university allowed the students to write arrears in the immediately following semester exams. As per the earlier system, if a student has arrears in an odd semester, he or she could only write the arrears exam when the course is offered again in the next odd semester. Students alleged that it was reducing their number of chances to clear their arrears.

The exams for the 6th semester (third year) and 8th semester (fourth year) students start in the first week of April. But, the fourth semester (second year) exam starts after a gap of one month in May first week.

"We have completed the portions for the 4th semester (second year). They could have held the exams for second-year students along with third and fourth-year students. That would have given enough time to conduct regular and arrears exams with regular intervals," an engineering professor from Chennai said.

In the past two years, only around 40% of students cleared the engineering maths exam. "So, the number of students writing arrears papers would be very high.
This fact was not considered while preparing the time table," a principal from Erode district said. He also pointed out the toughest maths exam conducted for the engineering maths-1 paper in January.

"No college was able to get more than 75% results due to the poor results in engineering maths-1 exam. After facing such a tough paper, the students who flunked engineering maths exam, may not have time to prepare for their arrears this year," he said.

Citing the Parliament polls as a reason for the packed schedule this year, officials from Controller of Examinations, Anna University said, "Many engineering colleges were chosen as counting centres for the general elections. Due to non-availability of big halls for exams, we have divided the engineering students into two batches this year."

The university has divided the engineering students based on the regulations under which they write their exams. The exams for students writing under 2013
regulations (third and fourth year) will begin from the first week of April. For the students writing under 2017 regulations (first and second year), the exams would start in the first week of May.

"The paucity of time forced us to conduct two exams in a single day," officials explained. However, officials said the second year students have enough time to prepare for the exams.

"We have given 20 days time to prepare for exams. Students can prepare for their arrears and regular exams in this period," they added.